Intramedullary nails are often employed to stabilize long bones (e.g., femur or tibia) after a fracture. Intramedullary nails generally include a transverse hole through which a locking bone fixation element is inserted into the surrounding bone to fix the intramedullary nail within the bone. The bone may be pre-drilled to receive the locking bone fixation element using an aiming arm as a guide with a protective sleeve inserted into an opening of the aiming arm to prevent damage to surrounding tissue while the bone is being pre-drilled.
However, these protective sleeves sometimes fall out of the aiming arm and may drop to the ground making the protective sleeve unsterile and unfit for further use. This requires that the protective sleeve be held in place by a surgeon, nurse or other technician during pre-drilling increasing the difficulty of the procedure.